Let's discuss the common complaint about 13 Sentinels (examples within)

[Jaymageck]

13 Sentinels is a sci-fi visual novel + tower defence strategy game that has received a huge amount of critical acclaim.

Also, in the worst game you played in 2020 thread, a few posts cited 13 Sentinels. The common complaint is that the game contains problematic anime fan service, including the sexualization of underage girls.

If the problem is this bad, it should change how we discuss the game. We should refrain from recommending it and rather than being concerned it sold poorly, we should be glad and say it deserved it for continuing these tropes that are harmful to women.

I'm undecided on what perspective to take. I finished the game and I loved it, because it had an amazing sci-fi story. However, I've been consuming Japanese media for nearly 20 years. It's entirely possible that I'm so desensitized by seeing worse problems that I'm not a good judge of this game's content. I am willing to accept that I am totally wrong about this game.

So I'd like to see Resetera's opinion at large by presenting some examples for discussion.

Note All images in this thread are from a game rated T by ESRB. So nothing pornographic at least.


1) Nudity
Possibly NSFW, use discretion. These are 'high school' characters inside mechs. They are nude, although thankfully no 'explicit' parts are shown.

Thoughts? Are these images a problem?


2) Fan Service - adult character

Below is an adult character in the game.

The breast size and ass shot on the left are both clearly unnecessary. How bad do you think this is?


3) Fan Service - young characters

There is a brief panty shot when a character awkwardly falls down before covering herself. Here is the shot in question.

There is a character that is almost always wearing gym shorts.

There are a few other cases around a similar 'level'. Is this unforgivably bad?


My opinions
1) On nudity - I know the 'story reason' for this, but it could have been presented differently without harming the plot. The pigtail girl's portrait in particular makes me feel a bit awkward. However, I don't think the art is egregiously sexualized. I'd rather the game didn't have it, but this particular art didn't detract from my enjoyment.

2) On the adult fanservice - the game should receive criticism for the ass shot. It's unnecessary and detracts from the character. Thankfully it is not super common, and is an adult character at least.

3) On the young fanservice - The game shouldn't have this and Japan should move away from this legacy. The best thing I can say is that it's kept pretty minimal with, IIRC, 4 or so instances or so over the course of a 30 hour game as far as I recall. It still deserves to be criticized though as again, this should never have been a thing and Japan needs to get rid of it.

My predicament
The game, in my opinion, has an outstanding sci-fi story. Without going into details, I'd say you could make a case for it being best-of-genre in gaming. Not saying that's right, but you could make the case!

However, it has some issues with fanservice, and we shouldn't sweep them under the rug.

My struggle is, I want to praise this game for its strengths, because I think it deserves it. It deserves to be played to experience them, because it's clear a ton of talent and time went into weaving this complex tale. I also want to criticize it for what it does wrong. But I don't think I want to completely disregard everything good the game does because of those issues.

What do you think era? Based on these examples, do you think the game can be praised for anything else it does or would you say these are "unforgivable"?

 

[Fat4all]

all roads lead back to evangelion gunbuster

it worked a lot more for me back in the day because i saw a lot of this anime when i was in my early teens, when i was extra horny and around the same age as characters in these dang anime

now im not jiving

 

[Lobster Roll]

Oh, I haven't done an ounce of research on this game other than seeing it pop up in GOTY threads. Those screens are gonna get a weapons grade yikes from me.

 

[Ketch]

There is no fucking reason for it. Without the weird pervo shit the game (and the whole world) would be better for it. I can't fucking play that game (and a bunch of other games with the same damn problem) because it's fucking gross. I don't want to see naked children. It's a fucking gross. Nothing could justify putting naked kids in your game.... just fucking don't instead, how about that?

Also LOL at the rediculous proportions "on the left" being a problem. Like rediculously huge tits on right aren't fucking rediculous, unnecessary and detrimental to the game as a whole.

I feel so bad for girls who like video games. I'm sorry you all have to put up with this gross ass pervert shit and people trying to justify it.

big fuckin yikes.

 

[Richter1887]

This is by far the biggest flaw I have with the game.

If they just could restrain themselves a bit more the game would be flawless. But nooo, let's just do this and turn off a bunch of people.

It doesn't have as much as I expected it to have (especially after Dragon's Crown) and the plot reason for the whole "naked in the mech" thing did actually work in a legit way (I can understand why people would think it doesn't especially when two of the girls have the weird art work instead of the way the rest of cast were drawn).

 

[Aaronrules380]

There is no fucking reason for it. Without the weird pervo shit the game (and the whole world) would be better for it. I can't fucking play that game (and a bunch of other games with the same damn problem) because it's fucking gross. I don't want to see naked children. It's a fucking gross. Nothing could justify putting naked kids in your game.... just fucking don't instead, how about that?

Also LOL at the rediculous proportions "on the left" being a problem. Like rediculously huge tits on right aren't fucking rediculous, unnecessary and detrimental to the game as a whole.

I feel so bad for girls who like video games. I'm sorry you all have to put up with this gross ass pervert shit and people trying to justify it.

big fuckin yikes.

Click to shrink...

They're talking about the ass shot pose specifically for the left picture, the two images are the same character so of course they have the same dumb proportions

 

[Jaymageck]

There is no fucking reason for it. Without the weird pervo shit the game (and the whole world) would be better for it. I can't fucking play that game (and a bunch of other games with the same damn problem) because it's fucking gross. I don't want to see naked children. It's a fucking gross. Nothing could justify putting naked kids in your game.... just fucking don't instead, how about that?

Also LOL at the rediculous proportions "on the left" being a problem. Like rediculously huge tits on right aren't fucking rediculous, unnecessary and detrimental to the game as a whole.

I feel so bad for girls who like video games. I'm sorry you all have to put up with this gross ass pervert shit and people trying to justify it.

big fuckin yikes.

Click to shrink...

I am totally agreed that there's no legitimate reason for it. There is a story 'excuse' for nakedness, but even that didn't require showing the nakedness, at least not as much as it shows.

Do you think having some gross content is inexcusable, regardless of anything else a game does? Should we boycott any media that has content like this? In which case, would you call playing the game and enjoying it morally unacceptable? I'm not trying to be defensive, I'm genuinely wondering the answer to this question.

I personally was not grossed out enough for it to be detrimental to my enjoyment, but I blame years of desensitization for that. I didn't "choose" my reaction, so I don't think it's bad in itself that it didn't bother me. But I am able to take a step back and ask myself - is it bad if I recommend the game to people? I think based on your post, the answer is yes, but I'm undecided.

 

[Dark Knight]

As someone who was planning on playing this soon I was curious about how bad this could be in the game. It's not like this is unexpected from Vanillaware at this point I suppose(which doesn't mean it's alright at all).

 

[Forkball]

It's a Vanillaware game, these types of character designs are part of the package. It's always going to be a major turnoff for some. You could argue that this art style is always going to keep them relatively niche.

 

[Jaymageck]

As someone who was planning on playing this soon I was curious about how bad this could be in the game. It's not like this is unexpected from Vanillaware at this point I suppose(which doesn't mean it's alright at all).

Click to shrink...

From the images in my op (none of which I'd say are spoilers), would you say it's better or worse than expected? Those examples are "as bad" as it gets, at least.

 

[Feign]

Morimura is so weird because no other character is designed like that. Every time she's on screen and has to literally hold up her chest as the nurse comes off as unintentional satire, which was definitely not the intention. While I do think it's intentional in that you're supposed to assume Juro Kurabe has a crush on her/Iori by making her a stereotype of a teenage boy's fantasy. (There's a reason she has the fucking worst sentinel portrait and I don't think it's justified, whereas I can understand the reasoning for nudity) the game is so often above that sort of thing that it comes off as an instant disconnect from whatever is happening.

 

[Dark Knight]

From the images in my op (none of which I'd say are spoilers), would you say it's better or worse than expected? Those examples are "as bad" as it gets, at least.

Click to shrink...

I suppose in terms of Vanillaware it's not the worst objectification I've seen, but contextually within the quasi-grounded style this game seems to be going for it's definitely jarring to say the least. I guess that alone could potentially make the fact that these are objectified minors a bit worse of an issue.

 

[BearPawB]

it is an anime game.
none of this is something anime fans haven't seen 1000x before if not worse.

People in here acting like their is graphic sex or something. There is some large breasted characters, and some shots of some bare shoulders.

This barely even registered for me while playing it.

 

[TheChillyAcademic]

You play videogames and watch anime long enough you come to accept that fan service isn't ever leaving the design of certain Japanese developers.

 

[Ladomania]

13 sentinels is pretty much a perfect game for me, and I don't really understand most of the complaints tbh. First, the naked in the cockpit thing. They're just naked. It's not like the game is constantly zooming in on some kid's ass cheeks. The most you see is a portion for their upper chest and head. So, to me, it doesn't really feel like sexualization. As for Morimora (the lady in the black suit), she has a big butt and breasts but like the design is pretty tame imo especially in comparison to other vanillaware designs. Also the thing about the girl in the gym shorts. She's on the track team and that's her uniform. That's also what Japanese girls' gym uniforms look like in the 1980s.

 

[MayorSquirtle]

With how strongly people criticized it, I expected the fanservice to be worse. Not that it isn't bad and shouldn't have been in the game, but I haven't played very many games that lean into that sort of fanservice and even I have seen worse in other games (looking at you, Danganronpa).

I think the thing that annoys me most is the people defending the mech portraits because of the plot justification. Like, yeah, sure, the reasoning ended up being sound but that reason sure doesn't mean they needed to be posed like that. And also, Ryoko being covered in bandages while in her mech directly contradicts the reason why they're nude in the first place, so...

 

[Chance Hale]

I hate anime bullshit and found it to be a non issue. Two of the mech portraits are gross and the catsuit absurd but it's really overblown and not something that factors into the tone or general presentation.

Some of the main plot beats and character designs in Persona 5 are way grosser than anything in this game yet you don't have every thread derailed by people calling it porn.

 

[Deleted member 364]

this is so mild lol.

 

[Richter1887]

13 sentinels is pretty much a perfect game for me, and I don't really understand most of the complaints tbh. First, the naked in the cockpit thing. They're just naked. It's not like the game is constantly zooming in on some kid's ass cheeks. The most you see is a portion for their upper chest and head. So, to me, it doesn't really feel like sexualization. As for Morimora (the lady in the black suit), she has a big butt and breasts but like the design is pretty tame imo especially in comparison to other vanillaware designs. Also the thing about the girl in the gym shorts. She's on the track team and that's her uniform. That's also what Japanese girls' gym uniforms look like in the 1980s.

Click to shrink...

My issue with the nude thing isn't that they are naked. Nudity isn't a problem as long as it is portrayed well.

The issue is that two of the characters are portrayed in a sexual way. All the cast apart from these two are drawn without sexualizing them but these two are for some reason. Were it not for them I doubt people would complain.

 

[capnjazz]

I got this for $30 during that BestBuy sale as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend and we're both enjoying it. The designs and fan service are a non issue for us but we are both longtime anime fans. Like a poster mentioned above, it's pretty mild.

 

[Kewlmyc]

The nudity actually had an actual plot reason that fits the sci-fi story (unlike MGSV), and stopped being noticeable after a while, at least for me. Nudity isn't inheritably sexual, though the argument can definitely be made for Iori and Tomi's portraits. Especially Iori considering the official JP artbook I just got has a two page spread of her in the cockpit (it's the one that was a PS4 theme that got banned). I get why people are uncomfortable by it, honestly, but the people calling it "child porn" are being disingenuous as fuck. It's a T rated game.

The fanservice is unnecessary, but also expected to be perfectly honest. Vanillaware loves their characters with over the top huge breasts and hourglass proportions. It's juvenile as hell, especially considering how good their art is. The panty shots are also unnecessary, though they're blink and you miss them.

All and all, they're elements that drag down a game with a legit fantastic story because someone on staff (probably the artist and/or director) is horny as fuck. This has been a problem with damn near all of their games, minus maybe Odin Sphere and Princess Crown. It's a barrier of entry for some people, but people comparing the game to pornography and actual crimes is absurd.

 

[Deleted member 41641]

I didn't realize the game was this gratuitous with the worst aspects of anime games. That's a shame, as I've read nothing but praise for it on here. This one might be staying in its shrink wrap.

 

[Wein Cruz]

this is so mild lol.

Click to shrink...

And that doesn't make it okay at all.

As one of the people that named the game in that thread, it's just as I said, the story justification for the nude piloting is poor and just the same as the "well ACTUALLY THEY ARE A 10000 YEAR OLD DEMON!!!" trope that has been around forever.

Now, what is the reasoning for the adult
characters objectification? There isn't one aside from the typical vanillaware bullshit

 

[Greg NYC3]

13 Sentinels is probably my GotY for 2020 but it's pretty hard to disagree with the points in the OP. Maybe reading threads about the fanservice issue on other games made me notice it more because I've played all but one VanillaWare game and this was the first one where the fanservice stuff stuck out to me. It may be because this was the first of their games set in a realistic environment and the protags are established as being underaged that it stuck out to me though. George Kamitani is such a talented artist and highly sexualized subjects are frequently in his work. I'm not for censorship of art which makes this a tough subject for me to judge but if these kinds of depictions make it hard for players to feel comfortable buying VanillaWare games then maybe it something that's holding the potential of these games to sell back.

 

[Instro]

If I'm being honest, the game is so benign in this regard I have trouble taking complaints about sexualization seriously, particularly from the angle of "Japanese sexualization run amok" or that line of thinking. I mean what is present in this game wouldn't even register on the average US teen drama.

The mech portraits are essentially only visible from the neck up, and I'm not even sure I would be 100% that they are naked if not for the characters explicitly mentioning it. Morimura is obviously a titillating design, but more so than the average titillation present across games or media in general?

I don't think the game does much if anything to sexualize it's characters(outside of Morimura) in any particular way, and generally not in the ways that people typically complain about in certain Japanese games.

 

[Aaronrules380]

And that doesn't make it okay at all.

As one of the people that named the game in that thread, it's just as I said, the story justification for the nude piloting is poor and just the same as the "well ACTUALLY THEY ARE A 10000 YEAR OLD DEMON!!!" trope that has been around forever.

Now, what is the reasoning for the adult
characters objectification? There isn't one aside from the typical vanillaware bullshit

Click to shrink...

it's really not though? Like the specific twist involved literally does not work if they were clothed in that scenes? I don't think it's really comparable to 1000 year old dragon thing at all

Spoiler

And if you're going to say but they're hair accesories and glasses are still there, while I agree those are dumb and inconsistent, those are actually points that they didn't go far enough with the idea, not the other way around. Them still having any sort of clothing or accesories actually does undermine what was being aimed for

 

[Ladomania]

My issue with the nude thing isn't that they are naked. Nudity isn't a problem as long as it is portrayed well.

The issue is that two of the characters are portrayed in a sexual way. All the cast apart from these two are drawn without sexualizing them but these two are for some reason. Were it not for them I doubt people would complain.

Click to shrink...

Maybe I've just been numbed to this because of all the anime I've seen, but I can't really see how they're portrayed in a sexual way. I can kind of understand Morimora because she's in a skintight suit, but I don't get Natsuno. I can't remember any part of the game that sexualizes her or anything like that. Like she's just wearing shorts.

 

[Kewlmyc]

it's really not though? Like the specific twist involved literally does not work if they were clothed in that scenes? I don't think it's really comparable to 1000 year old dragon thing at all

Spoiler

And if you're going to say but they're hair accesories and glasses are still there, while I agree those are dumb and inconsistent, those are actually points that they didn't go far enough with the idea, not the other way around. Them still having any sort of clothing or accesories actually does undermine what was being aimed for

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

I also would have preferred if they didn't have hair accessories, bandages, and glasses on in their pods, as they actually don't. It's not a plot hole, but it's very inconsistent with what they're trying to go for, as you said. Then again, them all having various haircuts also goes against what they're trying to go for, but I guess it would have given it way if everyone had long hair in their pods. Unless the pods also gave them haircuts, which would we a weird plot detail.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Honestly I do think there are some problematic bits but this discussion annoys me because overall it's extrodinarily tame and I've seen way less complaints on Era over many games that are way more egregious but also less niche. It feels like a lot of people are going out of their way to get mad about a game they haven't played or looked at much, sometimes pulling up gross shit from supplementary material as evidence for why the game itself is bad. 9 out of 10 times this discussion feels like it's coming from someone who has barely touched the game if at all, but people take them as gospel for some dumb reason (probably to justify the irrational hatred of anything remotely "anime" some people on this forum have)

 

[Lady Gaia]

It's all wildly unnecessary and I wouldn't blame anyone who doesn't want to play the game as a result. It's also a really solid game that didn't need any of that to stand on its own. I presume that it's more a reflection of what are effectively genre norms in a fairly distinct culture. You could easily say much the same regarding the violent content prevalent in many popular western games that we haven't really come to terms with, either. I'd love to see progress on both fronts.

 

[Richter1887]

Maybe I've just been numbed to this because of all the anime I've seen, but I can't really see how they're portrayed in a sexual way. I can kind of understand Morimora because she's in a skintight suit, but I don't get Natsuno. I can't remember any part of the game that sexualizes her or anything like that. Like she's just wearing shorts.

Click to shrink...

Look at Hiragi and Fuyusaka's pilot artwork. When the game zooms out to show them in the mech (I believe it only happens one time if I remember correctly) you can see how their pose is shown.

Everybody else don't have that issue. Both the girls and the boys are basically showing their faces and necks but for some reason Hiragi and Fuyusaka show their back and lower back.

These two stick out for that reason. The game was honestly very tame compared to most Vanillaware games so whenever the game decides to show stuff like that they stick out more.

I wish they would stop doing that as their games deserve to be played. I can't however ignore that these reasons are not issues that might stop people from playing them.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Spoiler

I also would have preferred if they didn't have hair accessories, bandages, and glasses on in their pods, as they actually don't. It's not a plot hole, but it's very inconsistent with what they're trying to go for, as you said. Then again, them all having various haircuts also goes against what they're trying to go for, but I guess it would have given it way if everyone had long hair in their pods. Unless the pods also gave them haircuts, which would we a weird plot detail.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

Yeah the haircuts are another inconsistency but that much at least I'm willing to handwave because doing it differently would probably spoil the twist way too early

 

[Jaymageck]

it's really not though? Like the specific twist involved literally does not work if they were clothed in that scenes? I don't think it's really comparable to 1000 year old dragon thing at all

Spoiler

And if you're going to say but they're hair accesories and glasses are still there, while I agree those are dumb and inconsistent, those are actually points that they didn't go far enough with the idea, not the other way around. Them still having any sort of clothing or accesories actually does undermine what was being aimed for

Click to shrink...

I personally think it's both comparable and different to the 1000 year old dragon trope.

1) It's different because the "story reason" is actually legit
2) It's comparable because Tomi and Iori's portraits are clearly sexualized, which the story does not require at all

For me though, other than those characters I don't think those naked pilots are sexualized at all. Naked, but not sexualized. I wish the problem portraits were not like that, but in this particular case I don't think the nakedness actually stemmed from the desire to sexualize the characters. So I "forgive" the pilot nudity.

For me, the fanservice parts are more problematic, particularly the panty shots and the gym changing scene. Both scream bad fanservice and are the game at its worst. However, again I don't think they completely invalidate the game's strengths, so long as we don't completely ignore them and still criticize them publicly...which we are.

 

[AIan]

It's a gray area for sure.

 

[EllipsisBreak]

It does go too far. At minimum, those two portraits in the Sentinels (you know which ones) should have a different camera angle that basically just shows the face. That would be the bare minimum fix.

Ideally, the nakedness just shouldn't be there. I know there's a story reason for it, and it's a better reason than I was expecting, but there could still have been a workaround. The game didn't need this content, and it would be easier for me to recommend it if things were different.

I think some developers need to be taught that fanservice isn't always the way to go.

 

[Aaronrules380]

I personally think it's both comparable and different to the 1000 year old dragon trope.

1) It's different because the "story reason" is actually legit
2) It's comparable because Tomi and Iori's portraits are clearly sexualized, which the story does not require at all

For me though, other than those characters I don't think those naked pilots are sexualized at all. Naked, but not sexualized. I wish the problem portraits were not like that, but in this particular case I don't think the nakedness actually stemmed from the desire to sexualize the characters. So I "forgive" the pilot nudity.

For me, the fanservice parts are more problematic, particularly the panty shots and the gym changing scene. Both scream bad fanservice and are the game at its worst. However, again I don't think they completely invalidate the game's strengths, so long as we don't completely ignore them and still criticize them publicly...which we are.

Click to shrink...

I mean dumb poses are dumb poses, I consider that a largely separate issue. It's not like the story reason justifies or even tries to justify the poses

 

[Ladomania]

Look at Hiragi and Fuyusaka's pilot artwork. When the game zooms out to show them in the mech (I believe it only happens one time if I remember correctly) you can see how their pose is shown.

Everybody else don't have that issue. Both the girls and the boys are basically showing their faces and necks but for some reason Hiragi and Fuyusaka show their back and lower back.

These two stick out for that reason. The game was honestly very tame compared to most Vanillaware games so whenever the game decides to show stuff like that they stick out more.

I wish they would stop doing that as their games deserve to be played. I can't however ignore that these reasons are not issues that might stop people from playing them.

Click to shrink...

You're right, I completely forgot that was in the game. Yeah that was wack and I can't defend it. The most I can say is that at least they only show up once.

 

[Jakenbakin]

Fix Iori and Tomi's cockpit view, take out the upskirt shot, fix Morimura's design, put a couple of the activators in less titillating spots, and I think I'm good with it all. I consume enough anime that the relatively small amount of fanservice didn't bother me much, but it's still unnecessary and gross.

Frankly I remember some of the comments about their anniversary show talking up the sex appeal of their favorite activators, or how if Okino had one they'd put it on his neck to be more "sensual" or whatever and that was fucking weird. Then on the subreddit I saw a topic about voting for your waifu and I was just like fucking really?

It's obvious that even though I have no problem interacting with the work and just saying it's background noise and meaningless fanservice, there's people that are fucking into it and that it is intentionally arousing for people and that's fucking gross.

It really sucks liking anime because I don't want to be "culturally insensitive" or whatever but I'm almost constantly wishing more Japanese creators could just get their shit together.

Also I'll throw out my mandatory PSA before someone mentions George Kamitani's fetishistic artwork that he was not an artist or character designer on the game at all besides the first artwork setting up characteristics for three of the characters. It's just company culture to have this shit I guess.

 

[Wein Cruz]

it's really not though? Like the specific twist involved literally does not work if they were clothed in that scenes? I don't think it's really comparable to 1000 year old dragon thing at all

Spoiler

And if you're going to say but they're hair accesories and glasses are still there, while I agree those are dumb and inconsistent, those are actually points that they didn't go far enough with the idea, not the other way around. Them still having any sort of clothing or accesories actually does undermine what was being aimed for

Click to shrink...

Effectively it's the same thing. Supposedly older characters inhabiting a younger appearance for "reasons". Poor reasons, at that.

The story/visuals could be adjusted in any number of ways to avoid this situation but at the end of the day the developer wanted naked teenagers in mechs. Period.

 

[daegan]

I agree with the folks who don't really see the game as heavily sexualized. Ryoko + Ida weirded me out far more than anything mentioned in the OP. Pearl-clutching about gym shorts is particularly silly.

 

[JudgmentJay]

this is so mild lol.

Click to shrink...

This is how I feel about it. The fanservice is so tame that I just can't bring myself to care.

 

[Jakenbakin]

Effectively it's the same thing. Supposedly older characters inhabiting a younger appearance for "reasons". Poor reasons, at that.

The story/visuals could be adjusted in any number of ways to avoid this situation but at the end of the day the developer wanted naked teenagers in mechs. Period.

Click to shrink...

You're one of a number of people that seems to believe this and I still don't know how so many people get this take.

Spoiler

They're not "older", they are the minds of minors in the body of minors. There's no 1000 year dragon shit, but it doesn't try to "justify" it either, it's just what it is. They're kids grown from the genetic samples, then destroyed and regrown again and again until they escape. There's no "older character in younger body" trope being explored there at all.

As to "just wanting kids naked in mechs"... Eh, I suppose. It serves a narrative purpose though, and nudity has often been used to show a primal, naturistic take on humanity. The designs that are sexualized are gross, but I have 0 problem with the concept of them being nude.

I believe Kamitani said he started the story with the last scene in mind, with the idea of them

Spoiler: End game spoilers

waking up naked in their pods to explore the new world.

You can say that means he wanted to justify naked children in the story from the start, but you can just as easily say he wanted to start with an image of human birth and new life.

 

[Apath]

.

 

[-Peabody-]

I don't know; I bought the game but this is the main reason I haven't started it yet. I like visual novels but when I think back to some of my favorites this stuff just taints it (looking at you, Danganronpa).

I was also listening to a podcast that described some potentially problematic stuff with a trans character but apparently that situation isn't what it seems the farther you get into the game so I dunno.

 

[diakyu]

Damn OP pulled up with receipts much appreciated. From what I heard I expected worse but it's fully understandable why some are turned away by it

 

[oskilatah]

Based on the "evidence" posted in the OP I'm convinced anyone who has an issue is concern trolling. What exactly is the problem? Do ya'll have the same issue with shows like HBO's Euphoria that depicts teenagers sexual situations (the actors are all of age)?

There are certainly instances where over sexualization of underage characters is a major issue, but this seems fucking silly.

 

[effingvic]

The fan service didnt impact my experience at all. It was pretty mild for the most part.

 

[ngower]

Based on the "evidence" posted in the OP I'm convinced anyone who has an issue is concern trolling. What exactly is the problem? Do ya'll have the same issue with shows like HBO's Euphoria that depicts teenagers sexual situations (the actors are all of age)?

There are certainly instances where over sexualization of underage characters is a major issue, but this seems fucking silly.

Click to shrink...

Sexualizing teens is gross in pretty much every form. There's a difference between showing a teen falling in love and male gaze nonsense.

 

[Aaronrules380]

Effectively it's the same thing. Supposedly older characters inhabiting a younger appearance for "reasons". Poor reasons, at that.

The story/visuals could be adjusted in any number of ways to avoid this situation but at the end of the day the developer wanted naked teenagers in mechs. Period.

Click to shrink...

But that's not what going on at all. There is one minor character who does fit this to some extent, but that character isn't even remotely sexualized

 

[Transistor]

It's the biggest issue with the game. I'm playing through it now, and I refuse to believe that it couldn't have been done with just face shots for the battle sequences and giving the nurse more normal proportions